Southern Thailand: Phuket, Ko Lanta and Krabi in 10 Days

Plan your trip: Overview · Nights and transfers · Verified stops · Day by day · Budget and booking · Conditions and access

Is this the right trip for you?

A ten-day Andaman trip with Phuket Old Town, Ko Lanta Yai’s west-coast beach and east-coast old town, then an Ao Nang base for a conditional Railay visit. There are nine nights, two protected base-change days and a mainland finish for Krabi Airport.

This suggested independent itinerary leaves room for meals, rest and travel between the main visits. No reservations are included. Visit lengths are planning estimates; adjust the day to your arrival times, current opening arrangements and the pace of your group.

Nights, bases and travel days

Arrive at Phuket (HKT), stay two nights, move to Ko Lanta Yai for four nights, and finish with three mainland nights in Ao Nang before departing Krabi (KBV). Confirm both base-change transfers for your travel dates. Road services and sea services have different piers, pickup windows and total travel times; a speedboat crossing time is not the hotel-to-hotel duration.

Price every transfer from the actual hotel address to the next accommodation. Include checkout, pickup, traffic, terminal or pier check-in, luggage and the final road journey. Keep transfer days free of essential paid sightseeing. Book a child restraint, suitable vehicle or help with baggage directly if needed.

Real stops and location references

• Phuket Old Town
• Khlong Dao Beach (Ko Lanta)
• Lanta Old Town (Si Raya)
• Railay West Beach
• Noppharat Thara Beach

Use the linked place information to orient yourself, then confirm the actual visitor entrance or booked meeting point. A map reference for a beach or temple complex may not identify a suitable pickup, accessible entrance or boat landing.

Your day-by-day plan

Day 1: Arrive in Phuket without an onward boat connection

Morning — Arrival at Phuket International Airport (HKT). Allow for arrival formalities, baggage and the road journey. This itinerary starts with a Phuket overnight and does not depend on catching the last boat after a flight.

Afternoon — Check in and rest. Choose Old Town for the shortest town sightseeing pattern, or a beach base if that matters more to your group. Check the exact address and keep your first afternoon flexible.

Evening — Dinner and transfer planning. Confirm the day-three Phuket–Lanta service, departure point, luggage and hotel collection with the actual operator. Choose a through land transfer if the sea service is unsuitable or unavailable.

Day 2: Phuket Old Town and its historic streets

Morning — Phuket Old Town. Use the cooler part of the day for a compact walk among the historic shophouses. TAT highlights the quarter’s architectural and food heritage. Include shade and drinks rather than treating every facade as a required photo stop.

Afternoon — Krabi Road and an optional Thai-Hua Museum visit. TAT identifies the Thai-Hua Museum on Krabi Road as a place to learn about Phuket’s Chinese heritage. Check the museum’s own current opening and admission before choosing it; otherwise make this lunch and an indoor break.

Evening — Return to your chosen Phuket base. Arrange the return if staying at a beach. Do not promise a Sunday walking street on an arbitrary travel date; visit only if the actual weekday and current programme fit.

Day 3: Transfer from Phuket to Ko Lanta Yai

Morning — Check the actual operating transfer. For a booked sea service, verify the ticketed pier and arrival point; many services use Rassada and Saladan, but the booking governs. Check the marine forecast and operator messages. Do not copy an undated timetable.

Afternoon — Phuket–Lanta travel block. Reserve the whole day for hotel pickup, check-in, the crossing and the onward hotel journey. A road transfer via the mainland and the vehicle-ferry connection is a different itinerary, not a short speedboat substitute.

Evening — Check in and eat near your Lanta accommodation. Stay on Ko Lanta Yai. Confirm the exact beach and pickup address; Saladan, the west-coast beaches and Lanta Old Town are separate places.

Day 4: Khlong Dao: a slow island day

Morning — Khlong Dao Beach. Spend the morning on the northern west-coast beach, or use your own nearby beach if the extra transfer would add little. Check sea conditions and keep swimming optional.

Afternoon — Lunch, shade and a free afternoon. Protect the rest break rather than arranging a second island circuit. Agree a return vehicle if your accommodation is elsewhere; do not assume that every coastal road makes a comfortable walk.

Evening — Dinner close to your base. Choose dinner near your accommodation and enjoy an easy island evening. Confirm tomorrow’s return transport across the island if visiting the old town.

Day 5: Lanta Old Town on the east coast

Morning — Lanta Old Town (Si Raya). Arrange a return road transfer for a short visit to the east-coast settlement. Browse the waterfront streets and community shops; this is a different place from Saladan. Ask before close photographs of residents.

Afternoon — Lunch and return to your west-coast base. Allow roughly half a day for the outing, including transfers and lunch, as a planning estimate. Do not assume all waterfront premises share one opening schedule.

Evening — Unscheduled island evening. Use the evening for a meal and rest. If the weather is deteriorating, review the next mainland transfer with the operator now rather than waiting until departure morning.

Day 6: Lanta buffer day before the mainland transfer

Morning — Revisit a beach or enjoy a genuine free morning. Use the spare day to absorb a delay or revisit Khlong Dao. Offshore excursions require a separate booking, suitable conditions and any current park permissions; they are not included in this plan.

Afternoon — Rest and confirm Ko Lanta–Ao Nang transport. Confirm hotel pickup, vehicle or boat arrangements, baggage and the actual Ao Nang drop-off. A through road transfer can be a practical choice; mainland ferry queues and weather can still affect timing.

Evening — Prepare for a travel day. Keep dinner near your accommodation and have the booking and pickup details ready. Do not make a late excursion essential before moving bases.

Day 7: Transfer from Ko Lanta to an Ao Nang mainland base

Morning — Depart Ko Lanta on the confirmed service. Allow for hotel pickup and the chosen road or sea route. For a road transfer, confirm the vehicle-ferry leg and mainland continuation. Use the actual operator’s timing rather than a generic island-to-island estimate.

Afternoon — Check in at Ao Nang. Choose a mainland Ao Nang accommodation address for nights seven to nine. This protects the Krabi Airport departure from requiring a Railay boat crossing on the final morning.

Evening — Dinner and a Railay conditions check. Confirm tomorrow’s boat service, landing beach and return arrangement if conditions suit. Keep the Noppharat Thara mainland alternative available.

Day 8: Railay West, if the crossing is suitable

Morning — Railay West Beach. Railay is a peninsula reached by boat, not a road-connected island stop. Confirm the actual landing and return point, marine conditions and boarding arrangements before leaving Ao Nang. Wet boarding may be involved.

Afternoon — A short Railay visit and an agreed return. Enjoy a beach walk and a meal if conditions allow. Do not add a steep viewpoint scramble or climbing session to this general itinerary. Return with time to spare before the service’s last practical departure.

Evening — Return to your Ao Nang accommodation. Stay on the mainland tonight. If the boat day is cancelled, use a suitable mainland activity or rest; cancellation does not create a need to find a riskier crossing.

Day 9: Noppharat Thara and a mainland weather buffer

Morning — Noppharat Thara Beach. Use a modest mainland beach walk near Ao Nang if conditions permit. This is a real land-based alternative to another island tour, although severe weather can also make a beach visit unsuitable.

Afternoon — Lunch, rest and airport arrangements. Keep this afternoon flexible for any delayed activity that still fits safely. Confirm tomorrow’s Krabi Airport (KBV) transfer, flight requirements and your exact pickup address.

Evening — Final mainland dinner. Stay near your base, pack and leave the departure morning clear. Avoid booking an offshore activity before the airport journey.

Day 10: Departure day: protect the onward journey

Morning — Check out and organise the airport transfer. Use the actual departure time and airline requirements for Krabi International Airport (KBV). An early flight means going directly to the airport. Leave time for bags, traffic, check-in and the journey from your booked accommodation.

Afternoon — Onward flight or a generous travel buffer. Do not put an essential attraction or a separate boat connection before the flight. If returning to Bangkok for an international departure on separate tickets, an overnight buffer may be the practical choice.

Evening — Onward travel, or an additional booked night. The standard itinerary ends today and does not include another accommodation night. Add an extra night deliberately if your onward timetable needs it, rather than assuming it is part of the stated plan.

Build a budget and book in a useful order

Use dated quotes rather than a single daily budget: accommodation for the stated nights, flights or intercity transport including baggage, local transfers, attraction admission, meals and water, optional activities and a delay contingency. Shared room or vehicle costs are divided across the actual party; admission and airline tickets are usually per traveller. Keep optional excursions outside the essential total.

1. Check entry requirements for the actual passport and travel purpose.
2. Confirm the complete arrival, domestic and departure journeys for your dates.
3. Book accommodation for every stated night and verify each exact address.
4. Arrange necessary hotel, airport and pier transfers, including any access needs.
5. Reserve time-sensitive activities only after reading cancellation and weather terms.
6. Recheck current official notices, operating details and conditions before each travel day.

Weather, access and useful alternatives

Sea services and optional park outings can be seasonal or cancelled. TAT describes monsoon closures for some outlying Lanta islands, but the current park notice controls the actual dates. Use the through road option when suitable and operating; it still includes the mainland vehicle-ferry connection. Railay requires a boat even though it is a peninsula. With poor conditions, keep the Ao Nang mainland base and adjust the outing.

Follow current official weather guidance and local instructions; a general sunshine forecast does not establish safe sea or mountain conditions. Northern haze can change outdoor plans, so use current Air4Thai guidance where relevant. Check venue steps, walking surfaces, toilets and actual boarding arrangements directly when these matter to your group.

Dress respectfully at temples, remove shoes where requested, give worshippers space and ask before close photographs of people. Use licensed transport and arrange the return from remote outings. None of these itineraries requires scooter rental. Tell a food seller or booked operator about dietary needs before ordering; a queue or a tour listing cannot confirm ingredient or cross-contact safety.

Questions before booking

What should I book first?

Start with the arrival and departure journeys, intercity transfers and accommodation nights. Add any time-sensitive activity after those fit together. Keep weather-dependent outings flexible and protect the final departure buffer.

Are hotels, guides or tickets included?

No bookings are included. Compare providers, room arrangements, pickup points, prices and cancellation terms for your actual dates and group. Ask about dietary, child and accessibility needs before paying.

Can I change the programme?

Use the itinerary button to create a private editable copy. Keep the same travel-day and departure buffers when replacing a stop, and update the nights if changing from flights to an overnight train or adding another base.

Sources and editorial review

Reviewed 1 November 2026 by Thailand Navigator Editorial Team. This was a source-based identity, geography and itinerary review; no first-hand visit, live booking availability or operator endorsement is claimed. Older destination brochures support place identity and geography, not current fares, opening hours or transport schedules.

• Tourism Authority of Thailand: Phuket Old Town
• Tourism Authority of Thailand: Ko Lanta
• Thai Government: Railay and boat-only access
• Tourism Authority of Thailand: Krabi destination brochure
• Bundhaya Speed Boat: date-specific Andaman bookings
• Thai Meteorological Department: marine forecasts
• Airports of Thailand: official airport information
• OpenStreetMap contributors: ODbL map-data attribution; individual mapped features are cited on the linked attraction pages.

Continue with Getting around Thailand, Bangkok food routes or the itinerary library.